Tuesday, May 5, 2015

We have reviewed and enjoyed A+ Interactive Math programs and we have also bought a year program too. So when I was offered a chance to review their new Adaptive Placement Test and Individualized Lesson Plan. I was really excited to try it out. I used this with program with Jam and Boo. The program itself last for three months - so it would be perfect for homeschooling parents wanting to check for gaps or even for public school kids during the summer break!

I signed Jam up for the pre-Algebra program and Boo up for the 6th grade placement tests. They found this really easy to use and work through. They actually have been working through this completely independently. The interesting thing is that they have both been using it successfully but in completely different ways.

When the child logs in they are taken to a menu page. It opens on a separate screen. As you can see it is very easy to navigate.

Let's talk about each button in turn.

1. TAKE ADAPTIVE PLACEMENT TEST
When the student logs into the placement test they see;

When you first start taking tests you will need to click on the 'Take a New Test' button. This takes the student to a test on the chosen subject. For example Jam is working on the pre-Algebra placement tests the subjects are;

After taking a test and passing it the subject will turn green. The 'YES' means that you passed it at grade level. The '1' shows how many times the test was taken. If you click on the 'View Attempt Details' will show you details about the test you took, including the percentage right etc. If the test was failed the subject turns pink.

As you can see the screen shot above shows that Jam took the test on Polynomials once and didn't pass. After the student has completed the study suggested for this topic they can click on the 'Retake Test' button and redo the test. If the student then passes it turns green and the attempts would change to '2' and the 'Retake Test' button disappears. If the student still doesn't pass (this hasn't happened to us) I would assume it would stay pink and the number of attempts would change to '2'.

2. VIEW MY REPORTS
When you click on this button it shows you two options. Summary and progress reports.

Summary Report

This option lets you click on each test attempted whether the test was passed or failed and receive a summary of the results - see above.

Progress Report
This shows a cute image of each subject and how close to the 'goal' you are. Obviously the man represents 'Jam' and where he is in relation to his 'Goal'.

3. VIEW MY LESSON PLAN

When the student click on this button it takes them to a screen with 2 more choices.

You can then click on a choice of two resources any of the concepts the student has 'failed' will be offered on either button. The work will be offered in different formats. The first 'multimedia' format is a video lesson and Q & A interactive practice session and the second is just practice with no instruction. The online worksheet automatically grades the work when it is completed and submitted. I encouraged Jam and Boo to watch the instructional video for any topic they 'failed' and then complete some worksheets if they felt that they needed more practice.

4.VIDEO TUTORIAL
I guess I should have started out with this button. This contains some video tutorials to help the student get started.

HOW MY KIDS USED IT
Although I have already explained the process of using this program. I just wanted to explain the difference between how Jam and Boo approached it. Completely different but successful in their own way. However they have both worked on this every school day for the whole review period without being reminded that's a huge win in itself!

JAM
Jam decided to complete all the tests first. Even if he failed a unit he just carried on and completed his tests. He told me that he wanted to see straight away how much he knew and then went on to work through the topics he wanted to review.

BOO

Boo worked through each topic completely before moving on to the next. She took the test. If she passed it she moved on to the next test. However, if she didn't she completed the review and then retook the test before moving on to the next section. She found this more organized and helped her stay focused. Plus she liked seeing the topics turn green in order.

As you can see either way works and gives the same final result - it really is a matter of preference.

Both kids have enjoyed this. It's easy to forget a topic or two especially when you get into the older grades and so I think going back and looking at some earlier topics is a great refresher for anyone. Plus we all know that the more we do things the more likely we are to remember them. Reviewing previously studies topics in math is a perfect example of this.

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